Apple Cake with Hazelnut Caramel Topping

A delicious family teatime cake which also works well served warm with vanilla ice cream for a Sunday lunch dessert.

Ingredients

200g skinless hazelnuts
200g butter at room temperature
200g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
4 tbsp yogurt
200g Self Raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
1 ½ Pink Lady^® apples cored and cut into thin slices (each ½ into 16)
2 tsp icing sugar sifted

For the topping

75g butter
75g soft light brown sugar
3 tbsp double cream
85g hazelnuts roughly crushed
½ Pink Lady apple cored and sliced into thin wedges

Preparation

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/ 180°C/ fan oven 160°C. Lightly grease a square loose bottomed 20 x 7.5 cm cake tin and fully line with baking parchment.

Method

1. Finely grind the hazelnuts in a mini processor. Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream together with a wooden spoon. Whisk in the eggs and yoghurt until fluffy. Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold in with the ground hazelnuts.
2. Fold in the sliced apples and spread the mixture evenly into the tin. Sift over the icing sugar. Put the tin on a baking tray and cook for 1hour.
3. Meanwhile prepare the topping. Put the butter, sugar and cream into a small pan and melt together. Stir in the nuts and fold in the apple.
4. Spread the mixture over the cake when it has cooked and put back in the oven to bake for a further 10-15 minutes.
5. Put the tin on a wire rack to cool. When still warm lift out of the tin and serve warm or cold.

Recipe courtesy of www.pinkladyapples.co.uk